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Almost a requirement for a cool college town is an awesome independent book store. Boulder Book Store certainly fits the bill.
I'm going to try to do my best to actually BUY stuff here though... I always end up just looking and I end up leaving a tad guilty for the 30 minutes of free entertainment just provided
I love this bookstore. Whenever I need any inspiration, I just walk in and take a look at their recommendations and I could spend hours in their travel section. I think this is probably my favorite place to just hang out in Downtown Boulder, however...
This place is pretty pricey. They have signs all over that appeal to us Boulderites to "shop local," etc to justify their prices. I used to happily buy their overpriced books thinking that I was supporting the local economy, until one of my friends that has a Masters degree and was hired on at a managerical level and barely made minimum wage. He quit and is making twice at Borders! I don't get how a store could get so much business and overcharge so much and not even pay their educated employees decent wages.
I will still come in and look around, but I am definitely not buying anything here until their workers are treated better.
Portland has Powell's, New York has Strand, and Boulder has...uhhh...Boulder. OK, it's not as big as either of the other two or as storied, but Boulder Bookstore has that same reader-trumps-browser vibe that an indie bookstore needs to have in order to gain cred among the locals. It's conveniently located in the center of all the foot traffic in the city, Pearl Street pedestrian mall.
There are three floors, though my immediate favorite was the downstairs where they organized all the armchair travel books in a cozy, arse-friendly environment, as well as an expansive used book section. Even an outsider like me can get lost in a bookstore this well stocked. The place - as compact as it is- engulfs you with the sweep of literacy. Wow, I like that...the sweep of literacy.
This is a fantastic book store and easy to get lost in for hours at a time. Almost as cool as Bookpeople in Austin, Tx, but not quite. One of the cooler things about it is definitely the fact that it spans three stories - it's web of nooks and crannies make for bookworm bliss. Plus, you never know what department is around the corner.
My new favorite bookstore!
I live in Denver and have had to rely on chains like Tattered Cover, Barnes, or Borders to carry the titles I'm looking for. Many times I've wandered into a chain simply to find a book in a subject I'm currently interested in. However, I am always disappointed each time.
BBS has a huge and extensive selection making it very likely they'll have the title you're looking for. If they don't, they'll have it ordered for you in 3-5 days. And if you wander in without a specific title in mind, BBS also has an extensive section devoted to "Staff Picks". I was excited to see some of the books that I appreciate were on the list- it told me that I'd probably enjoy quite a few of their picks I haven't been acquainted with.
BBS also has a massive amount of used books which are generally in great condition. They also have very navigator-friendly book sections. I also had no problem finding magazines I was interested in.
Skip fruitlessly surfing Barnes/Borders/Tattered Cover for the book you need and find more than you came in for at Boulder Book Store!
Lost in book geek bliss....Boulder Bookstore is outstanding. I spend time here whenever I'm in Boulder. The staff is helpful and friendly, but won't stalk you like an old lady at a slot machine. It's large enough where you can feel lost, but then found again. When you're ready to sit down, head over for a great coffee in the coffee bar--not pretentious or couchy, just good old fashioned joe.
A must visit in Boulder
This is the only place I'd risk going over the allotted time on my parking meter ticket and getting a fine. I even factor in the potential parking fine into my budget while at the store. True story.
A bookstore's used book section tells you everything you need to know about the character of the city. And you'll never find anything close to the selection here - the runner up being Tattered Cover.
Another true story: A used book I picked up here went onto become a major motion film two years later. It's the secret glee you get knowing you got a precious book for six bucks, that is now selling for close to thirty because of the sharp increase in demand.
And they've got a CIA-lock on the bathroom.
Nothing like it. Not even the Dome of the Rock.
Wonderful bookstore, much larger inside than the storefront suggests.
Boulder Bookstore is a great halfway-mark between big chains like Borders and Barnes and Noble and those musty, dank, stuffed bookstores that are impossible to find anything in.
I like to give my money to local businesses whenever possible, but if a local business sucks, I have no problem turning to an evil chain that doesn't (or, even better, another local business that doesn't). Luckily, Boulder Bookstore in no way sucks! They've got friendly salespeople who will direct you towards the book you're looking for, used and MUCH cheaper books scattered amongst the new ones, 'staff picks' that contain a little blurb about why you should choose their favorite books, a large magazine section that's always stuffed with people furtively reading 'Cosmo' or whatever, and comfy places to sit scattered all over the place.
The store is huge, so its selection rivals that of the chains, although its categorization scheme is a little wacky. I've definitely found books that are clearly anthropology books in the psychology section and vice versa, books about gay marriage on the erotica shelves, etc. I mean, you can always ask a staff member where your book is, but if you just want to browse, you might end up confused.
Great bookstore if you're a tourist in Boulder and want to take a break. Pick up a book or magazine from their wide selection and head next door to their coffee bar. It isn't a sterile Starbucks in a B&N. It has good coffee and tea w/comfortable tables and chairs. French doors are opened to the patio so you can enjoy the weather too. Lots of opportunities for people watching too given the location.
Happy New Year from the Boulder Bookstore = 25% off everything in the store, including used books. How wonderful! I still love this place. Your best bet is to go to the "Recently Acquired Used Book" section to find the titles you're looking for. If they're not there, then browse the store at large.
Great selection of magazines (although when it's busy, it's tough to navigate that particular part of the store 'cause people just stand there reading) and excellent "Staff Picks" throughout the entire place.
Every time I go home, I am forced to either attempt to clean out our basement or deliver boxes of… Read more »
I'm totally rewriting my review here. Shame on y'all for not slapping my head for reviewing the Bookend within the Boulder Bookstore. And shame on whoever put this under cafes. It's not! It's just a bookstore! The cafe next door is called Bookend. Check my receipt!
(Ok, the receipt actually says BOOKEND ESPRESSO CAFE)
(I think the caps are unnecessary, too, but tell that to the receipt)
So let me re-review the bookstore, and then paste my previous review under Bookend. Go!
The Bookstore is awesome.
Magazines: Great selection, but inconsiderate people generally parked in front of them, sitting on ladders and things, reading. So be prepared to shove some freeloaders around to get your magazine. You'll probably need the ladder, too, because the racks are tall, and the highest heights aren't reserved for the naughty mags. The ladder has been there every time I've been in. Always with a freeloader sitting on it.
Books: Yeah, they carry a bunch. And things are well presented, well organized, and always clean.
Other stuff: They have DVDs and calendars and all the other common bookstore stuff as well. Again with the presentation and cleanliness.
Tips:
- A bit cramped for wheelchairs. Good luck. Don't be afraid to ask for help with the high shelves.
- They don't actually have wi-fi. That's next door at the bookend. And you have to get a password.
- They're not inexpensive. The giant volume dealers are the standard for low prices. They're moderate, which one expects from independent booksellers. Moderate prices aren't bad!
- The lot is RIGHT behind them. If you park there and use the back entrance, you're hardly outside at all. Whew.
- They don't have outdoor seating, but Pearl St. does. And the Bookend does. It's right next door. Did I already mention that?
- There is a pass-through to the Bookend, so you don't have to go outside. Whew!
Verdict: Awesome. SuperAwesomePendous when you add in the Bookend.
Oh, and I'm only ribbing the freeloaders because the ladder looks so comfy, and *I* want to sit on it reading magazines. It's jealousy that makes me this way. ;)
This bookstore is much bigger than it looks from the outside. There are ~3 levels to it and it has a massive selection and it's very orderly and clean. I like it that they mix in the used books in with the new books instead of having a "used book" section...because then I just have to go to the section that has the books that I'm looking for instead of checking once in the used section and once in the new section. I got 2 used cookbooks in great condition for a GREAT price here. Definitely recommend this place.
Another classic Boulder store that lures my loyalty away from Amazon with a experience and book discovery.
It is awesome, and the fact it has survived so long as the chain store mentality has washed down Pearl Street.... truly an awesome store that totally doesn't mind if you constantly read their magazines in some sort of an inebriated stupour.
Trust me folks, that one is a literal inebriated stupour.
If there's an independent bookstore nearby, I'm a magnet and everything is warm inside of me.
I'm not sure about you, though...
Boulder is one of my second homes and any trip there is not complete without an expedition into the fantastic hearth of the Boulder Book Store.
Can I just say that i'm jealous of the staff's aprons that they get to wear... they're super nifty!
The book selection is great and they have both new and used books (which I greatly appreciate and I think everyone should take advantage of that luxury).
I was sad to see in my most recent visit that the people of Boulder made "Eat Pray Love" by Elizabeth Gilbert be a top-seller... Yeah I puked a little in my mouth. Sorry, but that was unfortunate, but not at all the bookstore.
So it goes without much show that might be the only shortcomingof the store (and they aren't even responsible for it)!
The variation in book reviews is great and the book store is layed out through a comfortable few rooms with an upstairs.
Damn, it's a real bookstore.
Glorious!
So if you're in town you should try and stop by this sweet little haven of reading material!
This is probably the coolest bookstore I've ever been to. There are several floors of every subject you can think of, with little nooks and spaces for reading here and there next to windows overlooking Pearl street. Staff were super-friendly and helpful. The selection was more ample than what you'd find at a big box book store full of bestsellers or a one-floor indie store, basically combining the best of both worlds. I could spend hours here, and its a shame I didn't have more time to spend in Boulder when I discovered this place. Will definitely return next time I'm in the area.
Comic Book Guy: "Greatest. Bookstore. Ever."
Puts every Chicago bookstore to shame. The profusion of different themed rooms makes wandering the place a pure joy. Ball Room, North Room, Northeast Room, etc. make you feel you are wandering through an eccentric millionaire's summer home and add-on library. There is a real mystery to the place. Great fun and something here for everyone.
There are two things I dig other than the books at this creative shop: The speakers/events and the cards. BBS has some great and creative cards for those special and not so special occasions. For example, last year I sent myself a card and it made me really happy and grateful... I realized how much I really did love myself, and I am not sure I would have realized that without the purchase of the card from BBS.
The speaker series are great, and are usually upstairs, which is also a great room and layout that make you feel like you are in a rich man's personal library. If you get to the talk late when there is a very popular speaker, there will be no more seats and you will have to circle around the speaker. After an hour, I just have to sit on the ground and I can no longer see the speaker... Point of the story, get there early.
The best thing this store is good for is not only the books, but how long you can lose your boyfriend in the store while you shop up a storm all over Pearl Street. Just tell him that you will be no longer than 45 minutes, then take about three hours to hit up all the essentials. He might wonder what is taking so long when he finally decides he has to pee, but by that time you will be already texting him to meet you outside.
I agree with the other reviews, the next-door coffee shop is a great addition; however, good luck on finding a seat on a popular night or on the weekends. You end up waiting for a table and then you realize how stupid you look waiting for a table in a coffee house.
* Star one is for independencia
** Wow, it is huge (pun intended) star two is for a great selection of every book you ever wanted
*** I look smart star three is for a great and active speaker series
**** Because I care star four is for a great card selection
***** We will be home by 9:30pm star five is for being a good babysitter to impatient boyfriends
The Boulder Bookstore is the best. With a superlative selection of used books.
I'd quarrel with the reviews below, if you're willing to poke around a bit you'll find a private space to stretch out and take a test drive -- esp on the 2nd floor where there's a nice window filled room with great views.
The Boulder Book Store (BBS) is the soul of the Pearl Street Mall and the city of Boulder in general. It's got three floors of books and is the best place in town to get birthday cards. It's a great place to spend an afternoon in Boulder. Although, I'm not sure what the deal is with all the plasma TVs stationed throughout the store.
But don't take my word for it. Just look at how many top-tier authors come to the BBS for speaking engagements.
Be sure and peruse your purchase at the adjoining Bookend Cafe. They make a mean iced chai.
I've tried Boulder Bookstore several times in an effort to "keep my money local", as the sign in their window used to say. I've yet to be impressed with the store - on the whole, I've never found anything to set it on the pedestal that so many people think it deserves. Honestly, to live up the all of the hype I've heard about it the store would need to be a combination BBQ, bar, and brothel with a waterslide and free helicopter rides. Which, in hindsight, WOULD be awesome.
The store is MASSIVE, rivaling the old Barnes and Noble's 8000 sq. feet easily. The in-house coffee bar is alright, though getting a seat (especially when it's cold outside) is nigh impossible - the regular coffee-bar crowd of failed writers, students, and the under-employed often crowds out those that just want to sit for 15 minutes and read a newspaper in peace. Staff in both the coffee and retail-locations are universally friendly and for the most part helpful.
That said, I've never been impressed with the selection or organization of the store. Prices are typically Boulder-high, so once you get above 2 books it becomes rapidly cheaper to get anything you need off Amazon and utilize their $25+ free shipping. Ordering stuff is sort of hit-or-miss, and more often than not (again, in my experience) it's just faster to get it online. Stuff is filed semi-haphazardly, though this is more likely a reflection of the vast literary habits of Boulder than of the store - when this many interested readers wander through daily, keeping it all alphabetical is probably impossible. They have regular signings and readings from authors of all stripes, but getting tickets for those that are popular is often impossible.
The used selection is typical of used book stores everywhere - you never know what you'll find or in what quality, but given that it's Boulder the likelihood of finding a truly valuable gem isn't high. The likelihood of finding a great modern novel (or your upteenth copy of "What the BLEEP..?!" or "On the Road") is pretty good. Their buy-back policy is screwy, though - any books you want to sell have to go through a several-day pricing process. Once done, they'll call you with details - $X in store credit, or less than $X in cash. Don't like the offer? Tough - the books are already on the shelves and likely impossible to find. This bit me more than once, and I'm likely never going to sell books back again simply because an ultimatum of "You get this or nothing!" doesn't inspire loyalty in me.
In the end, it's a bookstore with a coffee bar inside. It sells and buys books and coffee, and that's really it. I don't understand the vehement loyalty it inspires in the average Boulder-ite, as nothing in my experiences there has ever set it apart from any other bookstore for me. Well, save the lack of cats.
My favorite bookstore! Their selection is amazing and if by some small chance they do not have what you are looking for, they will order it for you. The friendly staff is very helpful and know their libros. You can definitely trust the "Staff Picks" here and they host some great author events. Stop in after eating your happy hour sushi at Hapa and support your local bookstore!
If you like books and stores and other stuff, this place is perfect.
they have a great variety and selection of books from baby books through doctorate level books
Really nice bookstore. Nice shelves, easy to find things. Minus one star for lack of good writing on Classical music. Used and New are mixed in with each other, with remainders shelves all around. They also run a nice reading series and a monthly calendar detailing those series.
The shop is next to the Bookend Cafe, I believe. It's sort of funny that there is an electronic beeper between the bookstore and the cafe, but I guess technically when you leave the store you enter the cafe, so it's the proper place for it to be.
On the first floor, you find used books on the right hand shelf, with very good $1-$3 books on the bottom shelves underneath a middle table which itself houses remainders.
Oh, take note of the room that houses the spirituallty, yoga, meditation, sex, psychology, Buddhist stuff. The room was cultivated to reflect the subject matter of the books sititng in this room. Smart!
I love the Boulder bookstore :). There is something so cozy and yet fabulously hip about this place. The downstairs rooms seem like you could just stow away and read for hours in them. They have a huge selection of books and also other forms of media (dvds, magazines, etc). They have reasonable prices, too, which is great! I love shopping locally and supporting this wonderful store. If you haven't been, you simply must go!
The Boulder Bookstore is a wonderful place to find a good book, but as Dina H says, its not necessarily a great place to start reading one. The top and bottom floors are usually much less crowded. The employees are usually helpful. The independet flair of the store makes the crowds easily worth it to me. It feels so much more real than the standardized experience at Borders or Barnes and Nobles.
The prices are higher than at Amazon, of course, but you get the experience of going to the store and feeling the book in your hand.
They carry some used books and will buy some back from you, but there is a nicer book store on the East end of the mall (North side of the street)
A must stop for any Boulder visitor. People watching is at it's finest in this joint. And if you can spare the time take a walk through the book store. Guarenteed to find some reads that you can't even find on Amazon.
And if you have a few extra bucks, buy an extra cup of joe for one of the street performers -- they'll appreciate it.
I just love to see an independent bookstore. And of course, like everyone in Boulder, the staff is very nice, not an ounce of snotty.
The Boulder Bookstore is a most fabulous Bookstore...for a non corporate conglomeration. The selection is so vast and adventurous that you may at first feel as though you are in a Barnes and Noble or a Boarders...but you are not. It only takes one moment to realize this after scanning the interior and noticing a conspicuous lack of fluorescent lights, those "Bargain" books near the cashier, and boring boring. Alternately, The Boulder Bookstore will awaken your inner spirit with diverse and unique categories of Books such as Art, Employee Picks, and Music. Note, the yoga/spiritual section is especially huge--don't' forget that you are in B-town.
Go, look, read, purchase and support a rare locally owned bookstore. By the way, Trungpa Rinpoche, Naropa's founder taught in the big main room upstairs - where Naropa began. Great vibes there...
I really do love this place. I love the recommendations section of the bookstore that you see right as you're entering the store on the left side. Being part of a creative industry, I'm constantly looking for random books to feed my mind and I find this section a lot of fun. Their magazine selection isn't that shabby either. It's not the best but not bad at all for a neighborhood bookstore. I love how this bookstore still has the classic bookstore vibe. It smells like wood and books. There's something comforting about this place. I could probably start and finish a book here while I sit at a corner and no one would bother me.
I love the selection and the fact that this is an independent bookstore, but there is no place to sit and browsse, the aisles are too narrow and when it is crowded (which it usually is) I am always being jostled. A nice cafe attached, but poor pastry selection.
This is a fantastic bookstore. Not only do they have such a great (and humongous) used book section, but even their children's section is even fun to roam around. There is an extensive travel and cooking section as well. Really every area of this book store is awesome. The coffee shop next door helps and so does the validated parking. I can attest to spending many a lazy Sundays here just wandering around. I won't hate on the corporate bookstores (because i love them too), but there's something special about this locally owned retailer.
It is a Boulder institution and worth browsing through just for all the local color. It is more cramped than a Barnes and Noble and more expensive. That's because it's not a big-assed chain store. Their selection of books always suprises me. Better than yet another Corvette coffee table book.
Large locally-owned bokstore with excellent selection. Located on Pearl St. Mall. I'd give it more stars if I had more time to read.
Only four stars because it's being compared to the Chinook Book Shop in Colorado Springs and nothing really compares. This could potentially change, with the discovery of new nooks and crannies that I can wedge myself into with a book. We'll see.
The reason I tend to shop at independent book stores vs Big Box book stores is the staff: The Boulder Book Store has some of the best around. They are very knowledgeable about books and if you're looking for something that they haven't heard of - they have a genuine interest in learning about it. The staff recommendations are amazing. The Book store is vast but well designed. It has the perfect ambiance - one that you'd like to capture if you were writing a book about bookstores.
I can never manage to leave this place empty handed--they are experts in book recommendations and the coveted technique of hand selling.
Boulder, CO
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